Navi Mumbai Airport’s Cargo Move Is Already Costing Shippers

By Zinal Dedhia

What?

A pharmaceutical shipment bound for Manchester was supposed to leave Mumbai on October 1. Instead, it is now expected to reach its destination nearly two weeks later, after the logistics company handling it was forced to look for an alternative route following the shift of freighter operations to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL).

The shipment, comprising pharmaceutical ingredients, was booked on Challenge Group’s freighter service from Mumbai. But after the mandatory shift of freighter operations to NMIA, the airline could not provide firm confirmation on when the cargo would move.

“We don’t have a confirmation from Challenge Group yet. But we have found an alternative route through Ahmedabad on Emirates, but for 13th October. The cargo will now travel from Ahmedabad to Dubai, then to London Stansted, before being moved by road to Manchester,” Rajen Bhatia, managing director of logistics company Tulsidas Khimji and secretary general of Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI), told The Core.

The rerouting is expected to add at least 15 days to the shipment’s transit time and push the total cost up by around 20-25%, Bhatia said.

Why? 

The shipment highlights the teething problems facing cargo operations at NMIA. The new airport is still building out cargo infrastructure, including cargo space, dollies and specialised facilities. Its pharmaceutical sterile area is also yet to be operational.

Some freighter operators have suspended Mumbai services, while forwarders continuing to use NMIA have reported delays of 72 hours or more, along with higher costs and instances of cargo damage.

The immediate trigger is the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport. MIAL has said the shift to NMIA is a temporary arrangement, enabled by the new airport becoming operational.

The redevelopment of T1, originally scheduled to begin in mid-2025, was deferred after MIAL said there was no alternative facility available for airlines. With NMIA now operational, the airport operator says airlines have an alternative within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

But is Mumbai’s cargo business paying the price for moving to an airport that is still finding its feet?

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Using Roku Ads Manager, the campaign moved from a pilot to a permanent performance engine for the brand.

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Rs 10,000 crore

That’s the value of the latest orders secured by Larsen & Toubro’s Power Transmission & Distribution business across India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, adding to signs that project activity in West Asia is picking up after a period of disruption.

Context: L&T has secured 380 kV transmission and substation orders in Saudi Arabia, 132/11 kV substations and associated cabling work in the UAE, and a transmission system comprising lines and substations in Visakhapatnam.

L&T has not disclosed the individual value of these projects.

Impact: The West Asia orders come after a lull in new project awards following the conflict earlier this year. As reported by The Core, project tendering and awards had begun picking up after a lag between March and May, with activity moving towards pre-conflict levels. L&T, KEC International and Kalpataru Projects International had all started seeing new orders from the region.

Future: For L&T and other Indian EPC companies, the latest orders offer some reassurance that project activity in West Asia is beginning to normalise.

But whether this turns into a broader recovery will depend on the pace of new tenders, the resolution of cost and delay claims on existing projects and the region’s infrastructure and energy spending.

SEBI Targets Finfluencers

SEBI has launched Project Jagrook, a nationwide investor-awareness campaign aimed at helping retail investors make informed decisions and avoid misleading financial advice, particularly from unregistered “finfluencers.”

The Lead: The regulator is rolling out investor-education programmes through universities, rural outreach initiatives and digital campaigns, while warning investors against exaggerated return claims and unverified recommendations on social media.

Context: The push comes as India’s retail-investor base has expanded rapidly. SEBI’s 2025 Investor Survey found that 56% of investors use financial influencers on social media for information about securities-market products, while 62% said they make at least some investment decisions based on influencer recommendations. 

Since 2025, SEBI-regulated entities and their agents cannot associate with unregistered persons who provide unauthorised investment advice or make unverified claims about returns. In 2026, it also required regulated entities and their agents to prominently display their SEBI registration details on securities-related social-media content, making it easier for investors to distinguish regulated advice from unregistered content.

IndiGo Hikes Airfares

IndiGo is raising fuel charges on domestic and international flights from October 6, as rising aviation turbine fuel costs put further pressure on airline expenses. Domestic ATF prices rose 13.2% this month to around Rs 137 a litre, following increases in August and September.

Fast Facts: For domestic flights, IndiGo’s fuel charge will now range from Rs 375 to Rs 1,300 per sector, depending on the distance. That’s up from Rs 275 to Rs 950 when the airline last revised the charges in April. On flights longer than 2,000 km, the surcharge has risen by Rs 350.

Flashpoint: Airlines say they have been dealing with higher fuel and dollar-linked costs amid the conflict in West Asia.

But higher costs raise a familiar question for passengers: how much of the burden should airlines pass on?

The Signal Brief recently covered a PIL before the Supreme Court challenging India’s volatile airfares and seeking greater oversight of pricing.

Trade Talks Stall

India-US trade talks have hit a “plateau”, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Monday, signalling that a deal once described as nearly complete is now facing fresh hurdles. Speaking at the Munich Leaders Meeting in New Delhi, Sitharaman added that further concessions would be “very, very difficult” for both sides, although negotiations are continuing.

Context: The talks have dragged on since February 2025, despite repeated signs of a breakthrough. In July, a US official said the deal was virtually complete and could be signed within three to four months. Last month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal called it “almost done and dusted.”

Backdrop: The main sticking points include the US trade deficit with India and Washington’s push for greater market access. India, meanwhile, has pushed for better tariff terms for its exporters and sought to protect sensitive sectors, including agriculture and dairy. Market access has remained a particularly difficult issue, with India reluctant to open its heavily protected dairy market to US products.

The talks have also been complicated by US pressure over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, which Washington has sought to penalise through additional tariffs.

SpiceJet Clarifies DGCA Review

SpiceJet has clarified that the ongoing regulatory monitoring by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should not be interpreted as a fresh finding of safety deficiencies against the airline. The clarification came after Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the carrier was under DGCA scrutiny.

Context: The budget airline said DGCA routinely conducts safety audits, surveillance and spot checks as part of its regulatory oversight, and that SpiceJet has undergone similar exercises previously. The clarification follows Naidu's September 22 statement that the government was carrying out operational and financial scrutiny of SpiceJet through the DGCA to ensure safety was not compromised.

Catch Up Quick: SpiceJet is facing broader operational and financial challenges. Its domestic market share fell to 1.2% in August from 1.6% in July, while its shares declined more than 2% on Monday.

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A Trade Deal With The US Appears Distant And Near Impossible Now

On Episode 997 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda Research as well as Amit Pabari, Managing Director at CR Forex.

• A Trade Deal With The US Appears Distant And Near Impossible Now

• Could RBI Hold Rates In Its Credit Policy This Week And Why?

• Airlines Are Raising Fares Again

• Battle Between Airlines And Mumbai Airport Intensifies As The Airlines Oppose A Forced Shift To Navi Mumbai

• The Rupee Is Under Pressure Once Again. Where Could It Go Next?